The Roar: December Issue

the

ROAR Voice of the students

December 2016

THE WOMEN BEHIND MANNED SPACE TRAVEL Meet the writer who chronicled their story for the new film ‘Hidden Figures’

Also Inside: • • • •

All Systems GOES Bus-less Impact Leaning on Lanier Marvel vs. DC: Sweet 16 remaining, who will advance to the Elite 8?

West Shore Jr./Sr. High School 250 Wildcat Alley . Melbourne, Fla. 32935 West Shore Jr./Sr. High School 250 Wildcat Alley . Melbourne, Fla. 32935 West Shore Jr./Sr. High School 250 Wildcat Alley . Melbourne, Fla. 32935

$100

$100

For all West Shore Students

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Table of Contents December 2016

pg 4

Taxing Times

pg 6

Editorial

pg 7

FLOTUS Fashion

pg 8

All Systems GOES

pg 10

A Hidden Figure

pg 16

Wacky Stories

pg 17 pg 18

AC units fail while school waits for funding share

The “Roar” shares views on environmental issues

Future first lady sparks controversy

Photo credit: NASA

Satellite will revolutionize forecasting

Local writer breathes new life into NASA story

The craziest news stories of the month

Love It/Hate It

Eggnog, Christmas Music, “Elf”

Reviews

“Moana,” “Awaken, My Love!,” “Teen Wolf”

pg 19

One Act Wonders

pg 20

Marvel vs. DC

Troupe 6034 dominates competition

Sweet 16 voting opens

pg 22

Reach for the Sky

pg 23

7 Gifts

Player returns after multiple knee surgeries

Your guide for the holiday season

Photo courtesy: Lizzie Guerra

Publications Policies:

The Roar recognizes itself as a public forum and encourages letters from West Shore students and members of the community. The Roar cannot print ads promoting activity illegal by Florida law, ads opposing any religious beliefs, ads written in poor taste, ads with racial or sexist comments, ads considered inappropriate by the staff, advocacy advertising or ads containing libel. The Roar is not responsible for web sites viewed through links found on pages mentioned in the publication. The Roar values letters from our readers: maximum length for letters is 200 words. No more than one letter a semester will be published from a writer. Letters and columns are edited for length, content and clarity. The Roar maintains the right to edit all submissions for poor taste, length, grammar and libel. Views expressed in the “Opinions” section do not necessarily represent the views of the Brevard County School Board, the West Shore administrators, faculty, student body or The Roar staff.

Staff:

Editor in Chief: Helen McSorley Managing Editor: David Thompson Copy Editor: Briana Sandoval Sports Editor: Ben Lack Designers: Gianni Valenti, Sarah Petrone Staff Writers: Alexa Carlos Tamez, Hope Dougherty, Ahjaney Friar, Kishan Ghayal, Matt Jones, Billy Macom, Elizabeth Marrin, Rachel Montgomery, Taylor Smith Adviser: Mark Schledorn

Submit:

Send in your opinions to wstheroar@gmail.com

December

3

Taxing Times

AC units fail while school waits for share of new revenue

By Elizabeth Marrin Staff Writer Having passed by a 16-point margin, the half-cent sales tax for Brevard public schools took effect in January, increasing the sales tax from 6 percent to 6.5 percent. The tax, expected to raise more than $32 million a year, resulted in 12 Brevard County schools receiving upgrades during the past summer.

However, the question remains: How has the sales tax benefited West Shore?

According to Dane Theodore, Brevard’s assistant superintendent for facility services, a main component of deciding which schools received renovations was a consideration of the magnitude of benefits that each school incurred as a result of the Facilities Improvement Plan.

“We made some vast improvements in many schools from 2004 to 2009, which was part of the Facilities Improvement Plan,” Theodore said. “We spent literally — at some schools — millions of dollars, so those schools had very few needs afterwards. We got to a couple of high schools and we got through the middle schools.”

A lack of funds, however, did not permit the renovation of many elementary schools, which are the schools Theodore says need the most improvement.

“We ran out of money when we got to a few of them [elementary schools],” Theodore said. “We did some small stuff at some of the schools, but we didn’t do a comprehensive renovation at any of the elementary schools. We didn’t touch 21 or 22 schools, so those schools — typically elementaries — didn’t have any improvements done in the Facilities Improvement Plan; those are the ones that have the most needs now.

It will [benefit some schools more than others], but that’s based on the relative need of each school. For example, West Shore received about seven or eight million dollars, so it’s relative.”

With benefits reaped from the Facilities Improvement Plan varying across schools, school board member Amy Kneessy said the new sales tax is bound to affect schools differently.

“I believe the sales tax is a benefit to all,” Kneessy said. “Will some schools receive more dollars than others? Yes, but some schools have more needs than

4 December/ News

Photo credit: Elizabeth Marrin

Quick Fix A window unit air conditioner in art teacher Matthew Henderson’s room is held in place by cardboard and duct tape.

others.”

Prioritized by criteria such as facility condition, system criticality, legislative requirements and grouping of projects for efficiency, improvement projects have resulted in the installation of new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in several schools; $45,000 worth of sales surtax funds was used to replace a failed HVAC unit for West Shore’s Building 5.

“Many schools were able to prevent their AC from going down once school started this fall,” Kneessy said. “We continue to have AC failures in the district but the magnitude would have been much, much worse. All but five secondary gyms have AC, and the sales tax will allow us to install AC at the remaining five schools.”

However, the main project for West Shore has yet to begin; set to commence in a few years, it will allow for improvements pertaining to district school security, educational technology and facility renewal, totaling a projected amount of approximately $1,358,215.

Letters to the Editor Saving Senioritis Seniors, this is to you. Several weeks ago we pitted several of our greatest classmates against one another for the intense voting of senior superlatives. All was well and dandy until someone in your class (probably one of the people who wanted to win) pointed out that the iconic category of “Senioritis” was left off the ballot.

In my own homeroom the emotions swept over everyone like wildfire. There was shock, fear, anger and every other range of negative emotion us humans can comprehend.

So I gotta ask, what gives? Rumor has it some parents complained that the category made their perfect little honors student “look bad.” Well, news flash, they are 18! They are

adults! If you find me a single winner of this superlative who was offended, then by all means disregard everything I’m saying, but until then, consenting adults should be able to make this decision for themselves.

If I was the winner of senioritis, you best believe that in 30 years I’d dust off that old yearbook, force my kids off their iPhone 12S’s, and say to them “this here was because your pop didn’t write his senior paper until the night before! It was lit!”

So what do we want? Senioritis! When do we want it? The night before it’s due!

By Nic Stelter, 12th grade

Disposition for Position College. That’s the one word constantly raging at upperclassmen’s minds. So, during the last two years of high school, most students desperately try to join more clubs and presumably run for leadership positions. What I don’t understand is, why do some students try to run for president positions for more than one big club? In my opinion, I believe it’s fair only for someone to be president of one big club and maybe also have a lesser leadership position in another club. Let alone, I don’t see why some people try to have any sort of leadership positions in more than two clubs in the first place. When you’re running a club, your

ideas and devotion should solely go towards that one club you worked hard to be in. And joining multiple clubs isn’t the problem either. I just don’t think it’s fair when I see that people who have already won a leadership position run against someone who does not have any. This case is different if there is no one running against you for a position or the person you’re running against has just as many qualifications and clubs as you. The point is, however unfair the world might be, we should be wanting our classmates to have as much success as ourselves.

By Melek Turkmen, 12th grade

I would like to use this space to give some knowledge from a wise senior to the younger grades. In this segment, I will explain how to buy presents for people when you’re broke. One really good way to buy cheap presents is to go for a funny present. They will probably never use it but at least it will make the person laugh and funny presents are cheap. I bought a singing hot potato once for only $3. Now, this does not work for every person that you probably have to buy gifts for. I have found that some family members, like my mom, do not really appreciate such gifts. In this case, the best thing to do is to make a gift. If you are artistic then you have it easy, but for the rest of us non-gifted folk, poems are

something that most people can write or just a photo collage can do the trick. I’m fully aware that these two tips will not cover everyone you need presents for, so now comes the time that you must scavenge for loose change around your house, beg your parents for money, or actually do something to earn money. If all else fails, give those coupon things that say you will do something for the person. My sister used to do this to me but she put an expiration date on them for a month later, she’s smart and I would suggest doing this. I hope that with all this gained knowledge the holidays are a breeze.

By Danielle Ferretti, 12th grade

The Gift of Wisdom

Opinion /December

5

In Our Words

Lack of real recycling options on campus sets poor example for all Across Brevard Public Schools campuses, recycling bins are situated in the lunchrooms and classrooms to collect paper, plastics and other recyclable materials.

The same holds true for our campus. However, the recycling bins and trash bins are actually interchangeable because trash goes into both; the school no longer has its recycled materials — with the exception of cardboard — picked up.

In the past, recycling on campus has been made possible by SP Recycling, an environmental and recycling industry center that delivered roll-off trash bins to the school. Even though West Shore recycled approximately eight tons of paper yearly, the company decided the bin was no longer profitable enough to maintain. This lack of initiative from SP Recycling exhibits an attitude too often shown when faced with the growing problem of global warming. Because everything nowadays is focused on maximizing profits, the company and many other places seem to have forgotten just how critical fighting climate change is, and by taking away the ability for a school to recycle, those in position of authority are teaching students that focusing on climate change is simply not important enough.

Millions of tons of discarded plastic that could instead be recycled end up in our oceans, specifically in areas surrounding the Northern Pacific Ocean in what is now known as the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” In fact, the problem of this trash in our Photo credit: Briana Sandoval oceans is so bad that a study by the World Economic Forum expects that by 2050 Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Junior Emily McAtee throws away her trash during lunch. there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean.

As a society, it is our undeniable duty to take care of the planet, and although we have seen record temperatures along with other environmental crises in the past few decades, not enough has been done to combat the critical issue of climate change by governments on the local, national and even global levels. With such little progress being done to address the critical state the environment is in, teenagers from all around the U.S. have decided to take matters into their own hands. Our Children’s Trust, an organization which aims to secure the legal right to a stable climate for present and future generations, has partnered with 21 teenage plaintiffs in suing the U.S. government, President Obama and the fossil fuel industry. The basis of their lawsuit is that the United States is violating their constitutional rights. Although their case was originally dismissed by U.S. magistrate judge Thomas Coffin, on Nov. 10, U.S. district judge Ann Aiken issued an opinion and order that declined the motion made by the defense to dismiss the case once more.

The actions of these young people are truly inspiring and should encourage people everywhere to take a stand and protect the planet that we live on, even if it is just by finding a way to recycle at school.

Bye Bye Busing

Cartoon credit: Regan Willner

6

December/Editorial

FLOTUS Fashion

Future First Lady Melania Trump sparks controversy in the fashion industry Rachel Montgomery Staff Writer Politics aside, it’s no secret that the family moving into the White House on Jan. 20 is somewhat unorthodox. With all of the spotlight on President-Elect Donald Trump, no one has really stopped to consider that as public figures, his family isn’t well-known by the general American public, especially the future first lady. Who really knows Melania Trump?

Melania Trump will bring a few firsts into the White House. She’s the first third-wife (with a 24-year age gap between her and Donald, and an eight-year age gap between her and Donald’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr.), the first to be born in a communist nation (Slovenia), and the first foreign-born FLOTUS in 191 years (she’s the second immigrant FLOTUS. Louisa Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams, was the first) — ironic with her immigrant-bashinghusband, right? She’s the first to not speak English as a first language (her first language is Slovenian, but she also speaks English, French, Serbian and German), a fluency that could come in handy, as it did for President Kennedy (whose wife spoke French and Spanish), the first former fashion model, and the first to have posed nude (she did so for a French men’s monthly magazine, “Max Magazine,” a publication that no longer exists).

One thing is for sure: Melania will have first lady fashion.

Most of how Melania’s news coverage has been due to what she wears — but I’m not going to talk about the double standard of how Michelle Obama can’t wear a modest dress without backlash while Melania wears short, showy dresses and is praised. Most of the fashion industry will most likely not support or broadcast Melania in the same way that Michelle has been, noting that most of the industry heavily endorsed Hillary Clinton. Yes, Michelle Obama wears vibrant clothing that catches the tabloids’ eyes (she’s made a plethora of magazine covers, including “Vogue,” “Essence,” and “InStyle” to name a few), but she prominently has a beloved personality that matches her outfits. Melania has stuck to monochrome outfits that make headlines solely for their brands, without spark or something for the public to love and relate to.

While fashion and politics usually don’t collide, the industry is being forced to decide what kind of role it wants in the new administration. French designer Sophie Theallet (who is famous for dressing Michelle in the past) tweeted a letter saying she will refuse to dress or associate with Melania due to Donald Trump’s “rhetoric of racism,

Photo credit: Creative Commons

Spotlight Speech Melania Trump speaks at the Republican National Convention.

sexism, and xenophobia” and urged other designers to do the same. Even high-end designer Tom Ford even said he wouldn’t dress her because “She’s [Melania] not necessarily my image,” and that she shouldn’t wear his clothes to relate to the American public because “they’re too expensive.”

Most designers or fashion figures haven’t commented about the administration (or have been quietly dismissive), but designer Tommy Hilfiger told “Women’s Wear Daily” that “any designer should be proud to dress her” and the chief executive of Rag & Bone said it would be hypocritical to say no to dressing a Trump because “we have to put that before personal political beliefs.” However, Melania does sport some high-end brands and could help the fashion industry, like how she sported a Ralph Lauren jumpsuit on election night and a Gucci pussy-bow silk top to the second presidential debate — an ironic coincidence with the release of the 2005 tapes, right? Historically, the sophistication of the first lady represents how respectable the United States is (Jackie Kennedy wore Chanel and Dior, and Nancy Reagan was dressed by Oscar de la Renta). It is likely that politics aside the fashion industry will end up flocking to her in three months, because it is no longer showing who you support, but rather what you support: unity, diversity, and class.

Don’t get me wrong, I have no harsh feelings towards Melania Trump. I’m simply saying that in the same way as her husband, she is different and a new model for the White House.

Opinion/December

7

All Systems GOES

Advanced weather satellite will revolutionize forecasting

By Rachel Montgomery Staff Writer Weather is constantly changing, and the more we know about it the better we can prepare for it. The most advanced weather satellite ever built — GOES-16 — is currently in orbit of the Earth as a part of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration effort to revolutionize forecasting and save lives.

On Nov. 19, the first of NOAA’s new series of geostationary weather satellites lifted off from Cape Canaveral and as of Nov. 30 the satellite had reached geostationary orbit. By late 2017, the new satellite will become operational after testing its instruments.

“I had VIP visitors passes to see the launch, and you could feel the ground shaking from where I was standing,” senior Nic Stelter said. “I know people that work at NASA who were really pumped about the launch, and it’s exciting to be able to say that I was Photo credit: Creative Commons there for the launch of something that will have such Spaced Out An artist’s rendition of the GOES-16 satellite once it is a big impact on weather sciences. It’s really neat to see operational in orbit. something that was created by people I know to be so important and make national news.”

GOES-16’s instruments will gather data for the NOAA with three times the spectral channels, four times better resolution and fives times the speed than before, according to the NOAA. Using a powerful new instrument called the Advanced Baseline Imager, the satellite will be able to have imagery and data of the Western Hemisphere as frequently as every 30 seconds, monitoring the earth in near real-time. To put this in perspective, GOES-16 will transmit more data in the first six months of operation than all previous GOES weather satellites combined.

“For weather forecasters, GOES-R will be similar to going from a black-and-white TV to super high-definition TV,” Stephen Volz, Ph.D., director of NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service told CBS. “For the American public, that will mean faster, more accurate weather forecasts and warnings. It will also mean more lives saved, and better environmental intelligence for state and local officials and all decision-makers.”

Faster, more accurate data means better observations of phenomena including severe storms, fires, smoke, aerosols and volcanic ash. GOES-16 even has a lightning mapper, which allows forecasters to see exactly where lighting is striking and the severity of it. This will help forecasters know how significant storms are. As a result, for future storms such as Hurricane Matthew, the destruction done to coastline economies will be significantly less.

“This is a major advancement for weather forecasting,” NOAA National Weather Service Director Louis W. Uccellini, Ph.D. in an NOAA said in press release. “We are ready to receive and process GOES-R data into our forecasts as soon as it is available. Forecasters will not only have sharper, more detailed views of evolving weather systems, they will have more data — better data — ingested into our weather models to help us predict the weather tomorrow, this weekend and next week.”

Weather forecasting aside, GOES-16 will be a part of the Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking system, which has saved thousands of lives. The satellite is carrying a special transponder that can detect distress signals from emergency beacons.

“NOAA is now operating the most sophisticated technology ever flown in space to help forecast weather on Earth,” Volz said in an NOAA press release. “We’ve crossed an historic performance threshold with GOES-R.” 8

December/News

Bus-less Impact Loss of all forms of busing impacts campus in ways beyond transportation

By Hope Dougherty Staff Writer This school year is the first in school history that no busing services are provided to transport students.

District-funded corridor busing has not been available to students since 2013, and since then, the pay-to-ride service from SchoolWheels Direct took over, costing each student around $1,200 a year. This school year, SchoolWheels Direct stopped serving the Melbourne area and West Shore parents were left scrambling.

“At the beginning of last year my mom thought that I couldn’t come to West Shore because having to drive me to school interfered with her work,” eighthgrader Christian Lutz said. “Now I carpool with people.”

Seventh-grader Allie Murray said that it is an inconvenience for her parents to have to adjust their school pickup schedule with her extracurricular activities.

“It’s pretty hard to have my mom pick me up in the car loop because of all the traffic in just the seventh and eighth grade lines,” Murray said. “I sometimes have dance 30 minutes after school gets out so my mom has to sit in the car loop for a long time to get me there on time.”

Current students and parents aren’t the only ones affected. Previously, 800 applications were received solely to enter West Shore in seventh grade. Since the halting of busing services, this number has dropped to just under 500.

“The ending of corridor busing means only families who are in a situation where one or more parents are able to bring the kids back and forth to school can really apply to go here,” testing administrator Mike Drake said. “A lot of times that has to do with the socioeconomic status of the family — it’s just a fact of life. Wealthier families are going to have more opportunities to make that happen.”

Most students already enrolled were able to make it work, whether with their parents help or group carpooling.

“Honestly, I’m not affected at all [by not having

Photo courtesy: Helen McSorley

Car Loop Chaos Spanish teacher Luis Martin directs after school traffic in the high school car loop.

buses],” eighth-grader Abi Johnson said. “It’s convenient for my mom to drive me to school on the way to work, so even if West Shore had buses, I probably wouldn’t ride one to school.”

The half-cent sales tax passed in November of 2015 raised hope that some of the funds could be directed towards the busing situation. However, most, if not all, of the money will go towards capital projects such as construction and fixing air conditioners.

“The pragmatic side of me thinks that it [the half-cent sales tax] won’t [go towards the busing situation],” Drake said. “It’s not that I’m a negative person, but I think the school board will continue doing what they’re doing with the hundreds of millions of dollars in the budget unless there are in-your-face, right-away, terrible repercussions.”

News/December

9

A Hidden Figure

Screenwriter Allison Schroeder opens up about her new movie, ‘Hidden Figures’ Girl Power Actresses Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe portray three women of NASA who successfully calculated trajectories for rocket launches.

Photo courtesy: 20th Century Fox

By Alexa Carlos Tamez, Helen McSorley, Briana Sandoval Staff Writers While the chance to achieve success in Hollywood often fluctuates between slim to none, screenwriter and Melbourne Beach native Allison Schroeder defied these odds with her contribution to the new movie, “Hidden Figures.” The story portrays the dedication of a brilliant team of African-American women from NASA who successfully calculated flight trajectories for Project Mercury and the Apollo 11 flight to the moon in 1969. For Schroeder, screen-writing this story required a great deal of knowledge and passion as well as many months of all-nighters spent crafting a tale that could potentially be nominated for an Academy Award.

Schroeder, however, said her success as a screen-writer did not come easy and starting out in the business proved arduous.

“After [graduating from] Mel High I went to Stanford University in California,” Schroeder said. “I was ready for a change and it was very different, as you can imagine, but I liked it a lot and I graduated and worked in finance for a few years, and then I went to film school at the University of Southern California.

After that I tried to get a job in the industry and it was very, very hard. I would say that the first challenge that I faced was trying to get that first job.”

Following a continuous process of interviewing and trying to secure a job, Schroeder was hired as a production assistant for the 2008 film, “Pineapple Express.”

“I will always remember that my boss said that she hired me because I wore the right shoes,” Schroeder said. “I remember very vividly I wore a white button down and a pair of jeans and a pair of silver ballet flats. She said that I looked very professional, but I also looked like I understood that I would be running errands and getting coffee, and that’s how I got my first job.”

After dipping her feet in the water of the film industry, Schroeder knew she wanted to be a writer.

“I spent two years just working during the days as an assistant and at night, and then all of my spare time writing away. And eventually, someone took a chance on me and I became a staff writer on the new ‘90210’ [TV series],” Schroeder said. “And [then] I thought ‘I made it,’ and then five months later, there was a huge change — over half of our staff left the show — and I thought ‘well, that was a good five months, but now I got to find another job.’”

In terms of holding occupations in Hollywood, Schroeder said finishing a job and finding a new one is 10December/News

Q A

1921-2016

“I know when I was growing up, I didn’t look like someone who [would pursue] science or math. I was this scrawny, blonde, bubbly dancer. I think we have stereotypes, so I hope that this [movie] fixes stereotypes and gives people a sense of happiness and also that we need to come together as a community and we need to work together for the common good.”

— Allison Schroeder

Photo credit: NASA

John Glenn

Photo courtesy: Allison Schroeder

Returning to Roots Schroeder poses on the set of the movie “Hidden Figures.” The film is set to open Christmas Day. Photo courtesy: Allison Schroeder

John Glenn was the first American to orbit the Earth, circling three times in 1962. He also served 25 years as an Ohio senator and was a presidential candidate in 1984. Glenn died on Dec. 8.

Ask Around Screenwriter Allison Schroeder speaks on a panel with actress Janelle Monae.

a constant obstacle because everyone wants to be a writer. However, her writing skills would soon lead her to a story he would “immediately [fall] in love with.”

“There were producers in New York that had optioned the book proposal from the author Margot Lee Shetterly and they were looking for a writer,” she said. “So they called my manager and said ‘Do you have a woman who can write about science and math?’ and he said ‘Well I have a woman who interned at NASA’ — and that was me.”

According to Schroeder, the biggest obstacle she faced when writing “Hidden Figures” was deciding what parts of the book to incorporate into the movie.

“During my first pitch to the producers, I remember saying, ‘OK so World War II ends and then when it finishes its 1972.’ And they looked at me and they said, ‘Do you know how many cars from different eras it would take to make that movie? We can’t afford that.’ So I had to tone it down.”

Ultimately, Schroeder said they decided to focus on the time period of John Glenn’s mission, and the women Dorothy Vaughan, Katherine Johnson, and Mary Jackson because they believed this time period showed some of their greatest accomplishments.

“The book spans 40 to 50 years and it’s not just about these few incredible women, there’s a lot of other incredible women in the book, like Christine Darden [aeronautical engineer who spent 40 years at NASA],” Schroeder said. “So it was tricky to decide who do we write about and which time period [do we pick].”

Schroeder said this project was different from those she had worked on in the past because she felt the greatest weight of responsibility when writing it. Because it is based on real women and real stories, Schroeder said it will mean more to the people who watch it.

Here on campus, middle-school science teacher Amy McCormick said she has high hopes for the movie. The subject is something close to her heart, as she used to be involved in a NASA teacher program, and now trains with private industries on how to fly gliders, among other things.

“I am very excited to see it because the preview looked amazing,” McCormick said. “Seeing the historical context and all the women in minorities doing incredible things by overcoming these struggles and obstacles really sparked my interest. The movie looks great.”

News/December 11

Transition from Tradition?

Talk of eliminating Powderpuff football game leaves students concerned

By Ahjaney Friar Staff Writer The annual Powderpuff football game leading up to the Homecoming dance may soon come to a halt.

Because tensions have continued to rise between the junior and senior classes in recent years due to the game’s competitive spirit, the administration has considered doing away with the tradition, replacing the role-reversal flag football game,with a junior-senior volleyball match during Wildcat Challenge, which is held in the spring.

Although students have voiced their disapproval that plan, the administration insists it is only looking out for student safety.

“At the end of the day it’s our call to make that Photo courtesy: DSP executive decision,” Principal Rick Fleming said. “Some Going in for the Kill Junior Alexa Carlos Tamez runs in to pull students tend to get carried away with all the excessive senior Angela Seibert’s flag during the September game:. things that go along with the activity, you know, body paint and things like that. While we want our kids to have fun, we also want them to be as safe as possible.’’

Sophomore Carl Koko, who hasn’t had the opportunity to take part in Powderpuff, said he feels as if he has been cheated out of a tradition.

“Powderpuff is a homecoming legacy,” Koko said. “We’ve been excited to participate in this event for awhile, so it seems a bit unfair to consider cutting it off right before we even get a chance to do it. I feel as if we would be paying for the mistakes of previous upperclassmen, and I don’t like it one bit.”

Junior Mariah Jones, who participated in this game, agreed that ending the tradition would be the wrong decision.

“I think it would be completely unfair to get rid of Powderpuff,” Jones said. “It’s just a really exciting time in which our class is able to come together as one. It’s also just become a custom, and serves as our Homecoming game since we don’t have a football team here at West Shore. Although things may get a bit heated during the time, I don’t think anything is taken personal enough to do away with it completely.”

Because this year’s game ended in a tie, senior Christian Napier had desired to see a rematch to take place at Wildcat Challenge.

“I was really hoping for the girls to have a rematch,” Napier said. “The game tying at the end with no one scoring was such a disappointment all in all. I don’t think there has ever been a time where there was no declared winner, so I don’t really get why this year would be any different.”

The administration however indicated that a Powderpuff rematch in the spring would a distraction at a time where students need to be focusing on school work.

“It’s just too much,” Activities Director Tony Riopelle said. “We aren’t going to have a rematch for Powderpuff this year because it just causes a lot of unneeded animosity between students during an important academic time.”

12 December/News

Face the Music

Eleven qualify for All-County Orchestra honor

By Clark Evans Featured Writer West Shore will be sending 11 high school students to the All-County Orchestra which will be performing Jan. 28 at the King Center in Melbourne. The students will be playing alongside the best orchestra musicians in the county on a variety of classical pieces including “Polovtsian Dances No. 17,” “Komm Süßer Tod” and “Finlandia.”

“I have been in All-County since seventh grade,” junior Yoosang Park said. “I’ve always enjoyed the experience. It’s a lot of preparation and commitment, but at the same time it’s a great opportunity to develop [my] musicianship.”

Park said getting into the county’s best orchestra takes year-round practice. On top of that, Park is involved in multiple extracurricular activities. As well as playing in All-County Orchestra, she participates in All-State Orchestra.

“I usually practice around three hours a day during summer and then go down to about two and a half hours per week once school starts,” Park said.

Unlike the school’s orchestras, All-County Orchestra is a full orchestra. This means that in addition to stringed instruments, there are brass, woodwinds and percussion.

“I personally love listening to the wind instruments because they can add a special touch to the music that a violin can’t,” Park said.

Junior Zachary Zaroogian, who also made it in for a fifth consecutive year, said he also enjoys the full orchestra.

“It contributes to a fuller sound and adds to the texture of the pieces played,” Zaroogian said.

Zaroogian said he looks forward to meeting other musicians from across the county.

“It’s nice seeing all my peers from across the county and [being able to] make music with them,” Zaroogian said. “[It] makes the winter very busy to say the least. I’m gone half of January between orchestra and other competitions.”

Several band and chorus members also qualified for All-County; students in band, chorus, ensemble and orchestra who were sent to All-County totaled TOTAL (33+chorus). See westshoreroar.com for a complete list of names from each ensemble.

Under Raps

Music video examines two sides of a controversial issue

By Billy Macom Staff Writer A majority of today’s rap is either boring or lazy. Most rappers can’t even stay on topic, instead shifting issues by using generic scenarios, usually involving freeing a friend from prison — even if that friend actually committed a crime. And we’re supposed to take that seriously?

Another category of lazy rap involves focusing on the beat and ignoring lyrical content. Desiigner’s song “Tiimmy Turner” serves as a prime example: a good beat, but the same lines are repeated over and over again, almost to the point that the words and the beat are barely distinguishable from each other.

But rap doesn’t have to be that way. Tech N9ne, a rapper known for his fast-paced lyrics, recently released a music video called “What If It Was Me,” and although Tech’s flow remains similar to his other work, this song is special. The best rap is rap that tells a story, helping the listener connect to the artist and making clear a point.

The video depicts Tech N9ne wearing a red shirt because red is his favorite color and because it’s the color worn by 37-year-old Alton Sterling when he was shot by two police officers. In the video, Tech N9ne plays every other person he sees while on his walk to a convenience store. He makes the point that at every turn he could have ended up a bum had he given up on his dreams. Tech makes it to the convenience store and stands outside, trying to sell his CDs, similar to circumstances Sterling was in moments before he was shot. Police show up to the convenience store after being notified of a “gun suspicion.” A police officer walks up to Tech, and sees what seems to be a large object in Tech’s right pocket. As Tech reaches for his pocket to reassure the officer that there is in fact no weapon, the officer (also played by Tech N9ne) draws his gun.

The officer’s partner (played by Krizz Kaliko) quickly tries to calm him down, but Tech moves his hands too close to his pockets and is shot twice. Both officers are shocked and saddened by what has just happened, and then Krizz Kaliko starts singing the second part of the song, beginning with the line “What if it was me?” The situation then replays, with Kaliko being able to calm down the officer Tech N9ne. Out of fear, the Tech N9ne wearing the red shirt pulls out

Photo credit: Creative Commons

his gun and fires it twice, hitting Kaliko. Kaliko begins to sing, in a voice so perfect it generates chills. When Kaliko says “my babies cry out, you never cared, things that we do make each other so scared,” he’s making a point that in these situations where there’s a possibility of misunderstanding and death — people are failing to see how similar they are to each other. Kaliko even describes the reaction the men’s wives would have if their husband were to die — “widowed and withered, hugging the pillow.” Taking another person’s life will only make everyone else unhappy. Kaliko reinforces this point by saying “the whole world weeps,” but then puts a spin on the message by saying “blood we all spill on her,” meaning that we are all responsible for the death and resulting unhappiness because we separate ourselves from the police and treat them as threats to our safety instead of helpers.

Because we refuse to view everyone as the same, we ignore others and their circumstances, and blind ourselves to their problems. This song is also a critique of the typical anti-cop sentiment of rap music. Instead of following others and bad-mouthing the police, Tech N9ne shows that we’re all the same and that police sometimes make mistakes because they’re human. The song’s unique perspective, emotion, and flow make it one of the year’s best.

Review/December

15

Buzz Kill

Cat Burglar

A woman in St. Petersburg woke up to find Jasper Fiorenza, a man attempting to rob her house, petting her cat at the foot of her bed. Fiorenza later fled the woman’s house, according to “Sun Sentinel.”

A group of teenagers in St. Petersburg jumped over a fence intending to burglarize a home, but before they were able to accomplish their intended task, one of the teens landed directly on a beehive, forcing them to leave the scene, according to “Sun Sentinel.”

Cookie Collapse

According to “Tampa Bay Times,” Donna Lynch Haff, an assistant principal in Pasco County, overdosed on cookies laced with marijuana, had to go to the hospital, and was later arrested.

Wacky

Stories Compiled by Alexa Carlos Tamez Staff Writer

Hit or Miss

According to “Sun Sentinel,” a man named Ronnie Jermaine Bridges from Apopka pulled out a rifle and made threats to his neighbor, Denroy Samuels, while in an argument. Samuels then pulled out a handgun in what officers described as self-defense, and the two began firing at each other. Neither men were injured, but the vehicle of a woman driving by was hit several times.

Missing the Cut A Key West tourist was beaten and had a beer bottle smashed into his face by native Damian Izquierdo simply for cutting the restroom line, according to “Sun Sentinel.”

16 December/Entertainment

Love it Hate it

By Ahjaney Friar and Taylor Smith Staff Writers

Eggnog "I just really like the way eggnog tastes. I can’t explain it.”

—Kayla Bain, 8th

“I don’t like [eggnog] at all. It just tastes really weird to me.”

—Sam Eisert, 7th

Christmas Music “I love Christmas music, I think people should listen to it all year long. It just gets you in the holiday spirit.”

—Lasya Damaraju, 9th

“Listening to Christmas music too early gets me excited for no reason.”

—Auston Gonzalez, 10th

“Elf” “My favorite part is when Will Ferrell gets hit by the taxi crossing the street in New York. I crack up laughing every time.”

—Grant Gibson, 12th

“I don’t find the movie funny at all, in fact, it’s pretty overrated and gets old over time.”

—Kenzie Scott, 11th

Survey Says Tweet

Tweet West Shore Yearbook

West Shore Yearbook

Eggnog?

Love it Hate it

Christmas music?

40%

Love it Hate it

60%

30 votes Final Results 12/1/16, 6:08 PM

33 votes Final Results 12/1/16, 6:08 PM

Tweet

52% 48%

West Shore Yearbook The movie “Elf?”

Love it

82%

Hate it

18%

50 votes Final Results 12/1/16, 6:08 PM

Entertainment/December

17

Reviews Roar critics share their thoughts

on the latest music, movies and TV shows.

Childish Gambino, known for his hard-hitting, witty lyrics bridled with entendres, completely changed his sound to a much more soulful and deliberate construction for “Awaken, My Love!” There are several callbacks to classic 70s music, giving it a funk vibe, and it’s clear that each song is deliberate. Every song makes a seamless transition into the next, starting with the powerful choral arrangements of “Me and Your Mama” and flowing to the acoustic drum beats of “Have Some Love,” which is done expertly. “Awaken, My Love!” could be described as a transformative album at best and an experimental success at worst. While it wasn’t what the masses were expecting, Gambino still delivers in an entirely new front, showing his talent as an artist.

By Rachel Montgomery

“Moana” is a completely new level of Disney princess. By focusing more on “hero” and less on “princess,” the film provides what many have been waiting for — a princess movie that provides a relatable role model that is simultaneously strong . The visuals are enticing, the plot is strong and the casting is perfect. Auli’li Cravalho provides the flawless voice for Moana and “Hamilton” fans will be thrilled with vocals and music by Lin Manuel Miranda and Christopher Jackson’s performance. Dwayne Johnson pulls off a catchy musical number and thrives as Maui. The movie is a superb way to spend time with family and friends, and is sure to become a Disney classic.

By Helen McSorley

My expectations weren’t all that high when I watched the season 6 premiere of “Teen Wolf.” After a disappointing fifth season, I was debating whether or not the show was worth watching. However, the season premiere left me pleasantly surprised. While it’s always enjoyable to see familiar faces from past seasons on the screen such as Stiles, Scott and Lydia, I wanted more of a reason to continue watching. Luckily, the writers provided me with just that. The combination of a suspenseful plot and the enthralling personalities of the characters this season looks promising.

By Briana Sandoval

18 December/Reviews

One Act Wonders Troupe 6034 bring home superiors from competition

By Anna Wilder Featured Writer Troupe 6034 made the theater department proud by earning a superior rating from the District 11 One Act Competition on Dec. 2-3 at Merritt Island High School. The competition consisted of 24 schools from Brevard and Osceola counties who performed a show with a maximum of 40 minutes to take their set on, perform and take their set off. The schools then got a critique with some of the judges after their performance, and received scoresheets with a rating on how well they did.

The show they performed, “Dinner with the Macguffins,” was a huge hit according to Senior Moses Chavez Gray, a member of Troupe 6034. They received the highest ranking medal for their performance, a superior.

“It felt pretty good getting superiors,” Chavez-Gray said. “While we have gotten superiors in the past, it was still a nice accomplishment. [Even though] we didn’t Photo courtesy: Lizzie Guerra advance to state, we were still proud of our performance and believed we did well together as a cast and had a lot of fun doing it. [It was] Definitely an experience I Troupe Talent Seniors Lauren McMillian, Moses Chavez-Gray and Lizzie Guerra peform enjoyed.” on stage.

Not only did the troupe receive superiors at the competition, but some cast members also received individual awards. Senior Lizzie Guerra received the All-Star Cast Member award, an award in which the judges select one cast member from each school’s performance that they would personally cast for that role.

Alongside this honorary, senior Nic Stelter received the Best Supporting Actor award, which is awarded to the one person out of all 24 performances that was the best supporting actor. Senior Eve Beard received Best Cameo Actress, which is awarded to the best actress that doesn’t haves lines in a show out of the 24 performances.

Guerra said she felt confident about how the performance went.

“I think it was the best run we did, and I think a lot of that was due to having an audience that was laughing,” she said.

“It changed the whole energy of the performance and made us want to do that much better. Amazingly, at least from my perspective, everything went as planned. Besides having an entire butterfly garden in my stomach, it all went smoothly.”

Chavez-Gray summed up his experience.

“As a senior, being involved in theater all the time has helped me find something I truly enjoy and have a passion for,” he said. “Personally, I see theater as a wonderful outlet to express yourself and meet lasting friends. To those interested in it, I say go for it because I was actually forced to do it at first, and didn’t think I would like it at all, but now its one of my favorite things and is something I want to hold onto and possibly pursue in the future. You never know, my advice is to try it and honestly, you will probably enjoy it and it will most likely teach you a thing or two.”

Happy holidays from The Roar staff

1. Spider-Man 6. Thor

Sweet 16

2. Iron Man 4. Captain America vs

2. Batman

DC

8. Green Arrow 4. Wonder Woman 5. Flash

Heroes

After an epic upset against Superman, the Atom fell to Green Arrow in the Round of 32. Now down to our final Sweet 16, the face-offs are becoming all the more intriguing. Iron Man and Captain America are coming to blows again in another classic “Civil War” match up. While Spider-Man has been blowing through the competition, he meets Thor in this round who just knocked out the higher-seeded Hulk.

“I think Thor is a force to be reckoned with,” senior Ethan Mooney said. “I would like to see him win it all.”

Make sure to go vote for your favorite heroes and villains by visiting www.westshoreroar.com and cast your Sweet 16 vote. You decide who will advance to the Elite 8.

Villains

1. Magneto 6. Thanos 2. Loki 5. Venom 1. Joker 6. Deathstroke 2. Lex Luthor 5. Doomsday

Leaning on Lanier

Senior basketball player makes his mark in school history while looking toward future

By Matthew Jones Staff Writer Standing at 6 feet, 5 inches tall with a 6-foot, 10-inch wingspan, senior forward Evan Lanier has the physical attributes of a professional basketball player. On top of that, he has been touted by his peers and coaches as one of the best basketball players to ever play for the Wildcats.

“He is by far the most athletic high school player I have coached — as far as natural athletic ability goes, it’s not even close,” boys basketball Coach Tony Riopelle said.

“We’ve had more skilled guys come through, but as far as shot-blocking ability and rebounding ability, he’s pretty special.”

Riopelle said Lanier possesses the athletic qualities of semi-pro level players.

“He is as athletic as the guys I was working with back then,” Riopelle said. “And these guys were just one step away from the NBA.” Several college coaches from schools such as Florida Tech, Palm Beach Atlantic and Francis Marion University have taken notice of Lanier’s talent and have shown interest in him, hoping to take his basketball career to the next level.

“The first thing a college coach asks me about is, ‘What’s this kid’s grades like?’” Riopelle said. “When I tell them Evan has a great GPA and his ACT scores are high, he goes right to the top of their list.”

The recruiting process has been a rewarding experience according to Lanier because the prospect of playing at the collegiate level has always been a goal.

“It’s been a dream of mine since I was little to play college ball,” Lanier said. “I originally wanted to play professionally but I realized that might not happen, so college is really the next step.”

Now, in his senior year and third season of varsity basketball, Lanier has become essential to the offense, according to senior teammate Jett Morgan.

“He’s the main focus of our offense. Most of our plays are run through him,” Morgan said. “He also helps even when he doesn’t have the ball by drawing the defense’s attention, which helps other guys get open shots.”

Last season Lanier set the school record for free throws made in a season with 80, while this year — through seven games — he has made an 8 percent improvement in his free throw percentage — from 56 to 64 percent — putting the record he set last year within reach.

Photo credit: DSP

Focused Evan Lanier lines up his shot from the free throw line against Cocoa Beach.

“Last year he would take a lot of inside shots, but with him being the taller guy the refs wouldn’t favor him and give him many calls,” Morgan said. “This year, with his added strength and body control, he’s been able to finish a lot more at the rim. His decision making has also improved a lot; he has been able to draw more fouls and he’s actually making his free throws.”

Despite being the leading scorer for the team, Lanier’s role as a team leader is less obvious.

“Evan isn’t very vocal. He mostly keeps to himself in practice and during games,” Riopelle said. “He doesn’t lead in that way. He leads by example. You can tell the team looks up to him.”

Morgan says Lanier’s unique, soft-spoken style of leadership has allowed him to carve out an essential role in the team dynamic.

“We have four captains this year, and Evan is not one of them, but I think that’s more due to, not necessarily a lack of vocal leadership, but really him being a doer rather than a talker,” Morgan said.

Sports/December

21

Reach for the Sky

Four-time knee surgery basketball player returns senior year

By Taylor Smith Staff Writer Four years after senior Skylar Johnson dislocated her knee during a JV basketball game, she’s back after undergoing a total of three dislocations and four surgeries on the same knee.

“When I was in eighth-grade, I was playing on JV and my knee dislocated,” Johnson said. “When it dislocated, it loosened the ligament that holds my knee cap in place, so I had to get surgery to basically clean up all the cartilage that was torn. After that, I had to get another surgery done on it after my knee dislocated a second time. I then underwent a ligament reconstruction [surgery] in order to get my knee cap to stay in place after my knee dislocated a third time.”

Coming back to the game after a tedious recovery Photo credit: DSP process, Johnson quickly found that the consequences Taking off Senior Skylar Johnson drives down the court in incurred from her injuries had not yet run their course. a home game against Celebration High School.

“Later on I was playing AAU basketball and I started getting a really bad pain in my knee, so bad that I couldn’t even walk without it hurting,” Johnson said. “I went to the doctor and they found out that I didn’t have anymore cartilage left in my knee. I then had another surgery to realign my leg, in which they had to break my leg, femur and tibia to put plates and screws in.”

While some may think it’s crazy to keep going back to the sport that has left Johnson with injury after injury, senior basketball player Brooke Townsend says that it shows a lot of commitment.

“I first started playing with Skylar when I was in eighthgrade,” Townsend said. “I wasn’t sure how bad [the injury] was until Coach Fisch walked out and carried her off the court. I didn’t think she’d be back for at least that season, Photo courtesy: Skylar Johnson but again, I didn’t know how bad it was at the time. It really Road to recovery Johnson poses in the hospital bed after surgery. shows just how dedicated she is to basketball though, and you can tell just by playing with her that she enjoys it a lot.”

Girl’s varsity basketball coach Jeff Smith said he also agrees that Johnson’s dedication is on a higher level.

“I think Skylar has demonstrated a lot of heart to come back after multiple surgeries and a very painful recovery.”

Smith said. “I’m excited to have her back as part of the program. She’s demonstrating wonderful maturity and leadership towards the team, and the fact that she shows such dedication is really inspirational to others, myself included.”

Although basketball isn’t ‘who’ Johnson is, her passion, love and devotion for the game is enough to keep her coming back for more.

“Before I got my fourth surgery, what kept me coming back was that I was so competitive with basketball,” Johnson said. “I wanted to play in college and in the WNBA, it was my dream, my passion, that’s what kept driving me. This past time coming back though, it was more of wanting to finish what I started. I mean the love and the passion is still there but I think after this past surgery, I grew a lot more than from the past. It made me realize that while basketball is a big part of my life, it isn’t everything and it doesn’t identify who I am.”

22 December/Sports

7 Gifts Under $17

Photo credit: Walmart

4 5 6 7

1 2 3

By Briana Sandoval Copy Editor

Portable Power Bank $15.99

Charge your phone anywhere at any time. www.amazon.com

Tumbler Cup $9.74

Vacuum-sealed cup to keep drinks cold or hot. www.walmart.com

Water Resistant Bluetooth Speaker $11.59

Add some background music to your shower jam sessions. www.target.com

Amazon Dash Buttons $4.99

Receive items to your front door with the push of a button. www.amazon.com

Adult Coloring Book $7.99

Color your way to a stress free break. www.target.com

Photo credit: Amazon

Grow Your Own Salsa Kit $12.00 The perfect gift for a cooking protege. www.uncommongoods.com

Plush Blanket $14.99

A cozy blanket to get you through the winter. www.target.com

Photo credit: Uncommongoods

Enterainment/ December

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